You Have To Every Now and Then
by Just-Met-A-Girl-Named-Maria
Summary: Jack and Red are determined to get back the child the witch stole, but the Baker and Cinderella just want to move on and settle back into a normal life, together with the Baker's child. But is there such thing as a normal life when the woods are constantly lurking around you? Sequel to Into the Woods We Go Again.


_Once upon a time, in a far off kingdom…_

Cinderella's eyes fluttered open and she turned over towards the wall and to her surprise, Red was not lying beside her like she usually was. She sat up and looked across the room to Jack's bed. His bed was also empty.

_…Lived a fair maiden… _

Cinderella got up and got dressed and exited the bedroom, only to find the two children sitting on the floor in front of the dimly lit fireplace chattering excitedly.

_…a cheerful young lad, a clever little girl…_

"Good morning children," Cinderella said.

"Good morning!" they both greeted her cheerfully.

"What are you doing up so early?" Cinderella asked.

"I don't know. For some reason I was awake earlier than usual, and I didn't want to be bored, but I also didn't want to wake you," Red explained. "So I woke Jack up."

"Can we play outside?" Jack asked.

"You haven't even had breakfast yet!" Cinderella laughed. "Do you have any chores to do?"

"We already did them!" Red said quickly.

"Well!" Cinderella said, baffled. "Then I suppose after breakfast you may play outside all you want."

The children threw each other excited glances. Suddenly a cry rang out from Paul's bedroom, and Cinderella rushed into the room to grab Peter out of his crib.

_…a pretty baby just older than a year…_

"What's wrong sweetheart?" Cinderella asked, kissing the boy's head.

"Hungry!" Peter demanded.

"Oh really?" Cinderella raised her eyebrows. "Do you want food?"

Peter nodded. "Hungry!"

"Alright, alright." Cinderella laughed and walked briskly into the next room and placed him in the high chair that Paul had made him. Cinderella mashed up peas and carrots that she had previously boiled and mixed them together sitting down in front of Peter. She carefully spooned the mashed up vegetables into Peter's mouth.

Paul suddenly entered from the front room, but paused when he saw that his son was being taken care of.

_…and the child's father, a baker._

"Good morning," Paul said cheerily.

"Good morning," Cinderella answered over her shoulder, keeping her eyes on Peter.

_The poor child's mother had died, and his father intended to take for his new wife, the fair maiden who looked after the lad and the girl._

"I can finish feeding him if you'd like," Paul offered. "So that you can get started on breakfast."

"Thank you," Cinderella said, and she got started making breakfast.

_All three were pure and light of heart, and the maiden was beautiful of face, and the girl was growing into a beauty of her own, and the lad Jack, couldn't help but notice._

"Do you think it will work?" Red said quietly to Jack.

"I don't see why it won't," Jack shrugged. "We already know a lot about the woods, there can't be that much we haven't seen. How big can they be?"

"I'm excited!" Red whispered, her smile shining.

_Jack and Red on the other hand had no father, and their mothers had been killed._

"We're going to be a real family!" Red exclaimed. Jack smiled back at her.

Paul finished feeding Peter and Cinderella finished making breakfast. They all sat down to eat and Paul smiled at Cinderella.

_The baker had a surprise for Cinderella._

"I've uh…gotten together a basket of food," Paul began, looking at Cinderella. "How would you feel about going on a picnic today?"

"Me?" Cinderella said. "I-I would love to!" Cinderella's heart fluttered. No one had ever done anything special just for her. She had always done everything for herself; no one had ever made her feel important, not even the prince. The last time she felt this special to someone was before her mother died.

"I can take care of Peter for you while you're gone," Red offered.

"That would be wonderful," Paul smiled at her. Jack threw her a look, and Red whispered into his ear:

"Don't worry. We'll still get something done today."

_The child called Peter had a sister. The lad Jack and the girl had the intention of going to find her, for she was taken from them. But they knew nothing about the girl. Not even that her name was Rapunzel._

Breakfast continued as it normally did, and when they were done, Cinderella cleaned up the dishes.

"May we go outside now?" Red asked.

"Yes you may," Cinderella said.

"We'll be back in the afternoon to look after Peter!" Red called, rushing out of the house.

"Stay away from the woods!" Cinderella called.

"We will!"

_But Jack and Red knew very well that they would not at all be staying away from the woods._


End file.
